Jennifer Edwards Press Release/Op-Ed

Our lives are defined by great moments when we decide that it is not only possible to make a difference, but that we are willing to try. Those kinds of moments led my parents into the service. As a family--my father in the army and my mother a member of the military police--we traveled around the world and the country that we love. We were always happy for the opportunity because we shared a sense of duty. They taught me that we cannot always choose where we are needed, but that we can choose to be there.

Murfreesboro was my first real home. I moved here to earn a degree at MTSU and knew that I would never leave. Like so many of you, I knew that I was where I needed to be. And like many of you, I got active in my community, raised my children, and started a career. For sixteen years, I found everything that I needed in our dynamic community.

And not too long ago, like many of you, I had one of those moments. I saw that we were on hard times and that our community needed--and deserved--a little bit more from each of us if we were going to set things straight. I decided that it was possible to make a change and that it was necessary to try.

I look around my district and I see a lot of people like myself: people who are ready to make a difference. They wonder why we aren't budgeting for better, proven police practices and equipment like body cameras that protect our officers and our citizens. They wonder why we have a looming crisis at our exhausted landfill when just a few hours down the road, Sevierville manages to recycle 70% of its waste. They wonder why we still do not have an adequate plan to protect our children in the place that they ought to be safest: our schools.

The people of my community want what everyone else wants: leadership that knows what works and knows how to get things done. That is why I'm running for County Commission in District 7. As your commissioner, I will make sure that we budget for programs that make our community safer and cleaner: programs that we all want and need.

My name is Jennifer Edwards. I am running for County Commission in District 7 and I want you to help me make Murfreesboro the home we know it can be.